North Austin Funk...Crestwood/Brentview (numero uno)

Since I moved to Crestview 13 years ago next month, I've been told by dozens of people that "you belong in South Austin." I didn't know what that meant, but by the nature and timing of the comment, I took it as a compliment. Last year, when my North Austin property was put on the "Inside Austin Gardens Tour" hosted by the Travis County Master Gardeners, that idea got tossed around ever more and I was told by many a folk in my yard that day that the word had gotten out that my house was the "funky yard" destination and when Central Texas Gardener reviewed the tour, my house was again mistaken for "South Austin Charm" by the host.

(All photos taken in Crestview and Brentwood Neighborhood.)

I'm not from Austin, I'm a transplant who means to stay. I've never called anyplace on this blue ball "home" but here. Here's where I've lived the longest, reared my daughters, taught school, worked as a professional gardener on both sides of the river, learned to brew beer, where my first big public artwork is, started blogging, found the love of my life, married him barefoot in the backyard and well...it's just plain easy to stay where folks are just down to earth, environmentally conscious, liberal-minded, free and kind as all get up...most of 'em.
But South Austin, really doesn't have anything up on my hood. We've got trailer-food, Alamo Drafthouse, Threadgill's, Lala's Little Nugget, Poodle Dog, Shoal Creek Nursery, Toy Joy, Ruby's, Mann's, Mayfield Park, The Triangle, Brentwood Pool...which is still free, my favorite little Mexican restaurant La Casita, The upcoming BlackStar Coop, The Homebrew Store, and appropriately named Crestview Station, the center of "the Line." I'm sure if you're a North Austiner your mind is tallying up all I've left out, ohhh, Genuine Joe's, Spider House, all that cool stuff off North Loop and of course Sunshine Gardens, Patchwork Farms...so the list goes on...
A few years back, local artist Jean Graham applied for a KAB grant and her main point was that our neighborhood "78" didn't have a public work of art. Since then artists, musicians, story tellers, gardeners etc. have been crawling out of the woodwork en masse...a few of us in the hood are biting our nails waiting to see if this years KAB grant will shine on us...again.

Well, my idea is for a neighborhood sign art project and we'll see if we get the dollars to do it, if not...it'll happen some other way. But, until it does, I'm still walking the hood with my best gal, Dorothy Belle...you can see her sweet squished face in the lower right hand corner of the shot above...checking out what we think is just plain "cool."

You gotta love the Barbi-car. So, I'll be puttin' up shots from my walk occasionally, because we've just got some real funky treasures here in the hood, and I'm all about sharing. Take a drive through our hood sometime...stop by the Minimax for a 6 pack of micro-brew and grab a pie at the Little Deli...this is home.

Happy Gardening, and keep it cool folks!